by admin | Dec 1, 2015 | Christian CDs, Christmas, Giveaways, Music
I have one copy of the Chris Tomlin CD “Adore” to give away this week. I you would like a chance to win it, please leave a comment below no later than Friday, December 4.
“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”
by admin | Dec 1, 2015 | Christian CDs, Christmas, Music
MY REVIEW:
My first listen to “Adore” was in the car with my husband and may I say I was underwhelmed? The volume was down low and I could not concentrate on the music because of conversation and road noise. At that point I would have given it a ho hum review. The next time I needed to make a trip in the car I decided to give it another chance. I was alone and could crank up the volume without annoying my husband. I also do my best listening in the car since I usually have at least a thirty minute drive with very few distractions other than traffic.
Second time was a charm. At the greater volume the songs literally came alive. Without distractions I was also able to actually understand the lyrics. As usual, Chris Tomlin came through with his own interpretation to several well-known Christmas songs – sometimes by the addition of lyrics and other times by creating a unique medley of several songs. Other unfamiliar songs were also excellent and the combination of songs is one that relates the true meaning of Christmas and should help bring listeners to worship. I can imagine that many worship services may include some of these songs during this Christmas season. One particular line that has stuck with me is “Jesus, the love song of God”. How meaningful is that?
With a wonderful list of songs and such a great group of guest artists, “Adore” is certain to be a favorite for years to come.
A copy of this CD was provided by Flyby Promotions in exchange for my honest review.
This new Christmas album released on October 23, 2015. It features classic Christmas songs with a mix of original Christmas songs. There are special guest performances from Lauren Daigle, All Sons & Daughters, Crowder, and more on this album.
Songs:
1. He Shall Reign Forevermore
2. Adore
3. Midnight Clear (Love Song)
4. Noel featuring Lauren Daigle
5. Hymn Of Joy
6. Silent Night featuring Kristyn Getty
7. What Child Is This? featuring All Sons & Daughters
8. It’s Christmas
9. A King Like This
10. Bethlehem
11. A Christmas Alleluia featuring Lauren Daigle & Leslie Jordan of All Sons & Daughters
 |
Chris Tomlin is an American contemporary Christian music artist, worship leader, and songwriter who has sold nearly 30 million records. Some of his most well-known songs are “How Great Is Our God”, “Jesus Messiah”, “Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)”, “Our God”, and “Whom Shall I Fear”. His 2013 album Burning Lights debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, only the fourth Christian album ever to open at No.1. Throughout his career, Chris has been nominated for 32 Dove Awards (6 of them collaborative efforts) and he has won 19 of them. |
SOCIAL • CORNER
by admin | Nov 23, 2015 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction
MY REVIEW:
One of my guilty pleasures this time of year is reading Christmas novels. I love having the excuse that I need to review them! Because of my reviewer/blogger status, I have had the opportunity to read all of Dan Walsh’s Christmas novels and am so thankful that I was introduced to his books. “Keeping Christmas” is another winner from this excellent author who always manages to touch my heart.
A story about empty-nesters Stan and Anna who are spending Thanksgiving and Christmas without their children for the first time, “Keeping Christmas” resonated with some of my own feelings this year. This is also the first year that my daughter will be over a thousand miles away for the holidays and like Stan and Anna, there is really nothing I can do but make the best of it. So yes, it was very easy for me to empathize with Anna.
For much of the story, I was not sure how much Stan even cared. He was so wrapped up in his excitement over the new fishing boat he and a friend planned to buy. But ol’ Stan surprised me and I thought his gesture was wonderful.
As always, Dan Walsh has written a touching story that examines the depths of human emotions. I heartily recommend “Keeping Christmas” as well as each and every one of Dan’s other novels. Do yourself a favor and give them a try.
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Stan opened the ugly ornaments box and pulled out the top three ornaments, the ones wrapped in green paper, the kids’ favorites, and set them on the coffee table. He picked up the first one, the biggest one–Anna’s blue pinecone–and began to unwrap it. Without thinking, Judith walked up, stopped him, and gently took it out of his hand. She wrapped it back up, set it carefully in the box. Then picked up the other two ornaments, put them in the box, and closed the flaps.
“What’s the matter?” Stan said. “Did I do something wrong?”
“I don’t think I can do this.”
Nothing is more beautiful than family
For the first time since their children were born, empty nesters Judith and Stan Winters spent Thanksgiving without the kids, and it’s looking like Christmas will be the same. Judith can’t bring herself to even start decorating for the holiday; her kids always hung the first ornaments on the tree, ornaments they had made each year since they were toddlers. Sure, the ornaments were strange-looking–some were downright ugly–but they were tradition.
With Judith refusing to decorate the bare spruce tree in their living room, Stan’s only hope for saving the holiday is found in a box of handmade ornaments . . .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dan Walsh is the bestselling author of several books, including The Unfinished Gift and The Restoration Series with Gary Smalley. He has won three Carol Awards, and three of his novels were finalists for the RT Book Reviews Inspirational Book of the Year. A member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Dan served as a pastor for twenty-five years. He lives with his wife in the Daytona Beach area, where he’s busy researching and writing his next novel. Learn more at www.danwalshbooks.com.
by admin | Nov 16, 2015 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Where does a story go when its opening pages include a surprise proposal with a negative reply and the couple must still spend the next week in one house with the man’s huge extended family? Well, “An Endless Christmas” has a few surprises in store and nothing turns out quite like the heroine (or the reader) might expect.
“An Endless Christmas” is a wonderful tale with memorable characters. Katie truly loves Micah but mistakenly thinks she can protect him from future heartache by not marrying him – after all, family history indicates that she is a poor risk. Micah is such a steadfast and patient hero who loves the Lord, his family and Katie without reserve. And the rest of the Binder family are the family most of us would love to have, loving and faith-filled people who never question life’s circumstances and love without judgment. Wilson Binder’s nightly whispered benedictions over each person present touched a place in me that made me yearn for a person like him in my life.
A touching story, “An Endless Christmas” included moments of humor, drama, and even grief but its message left me with such a feeling of satisfaction and hope. This is a book to share with those you love this season. I hope you will.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster.
Christmas takes a very different turn when the guests of honor break up instead of announcing their engagement. Trapped with his family, they learn that love looks different than either imagined. Both in their eighties, Dodie and Wilson Binder celebrate every Christmas as if it were their last. This year, their grandson Micah is planning to ask his girlfriend, Katie, to marry him so they can celebrate with the whole family. But things go very wrong when she says, “no.” Now they are stuck. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it’s Christmas.
Learn more and purchase a copy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Drawing from 33 years of on-air radio ministry, Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her novels and novellas, nonfiction books and devotionals, and speaking for women’s and writers’ events. Her books have been recognized by Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards, Selah Awards, the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, Christian Retailing’s BEST Awards, and Carol Award nominations, among other honors, including a Family Fiction Readers’ Choice Award. She and her plot-tweaking husband live in Pittsville, Wisconsin, not far from their three children and five grandchildren.
Find out more about Cynthia at http://www.cynthiaruchti.com.
There’s no getting out of Christmas now, despite Katie rejecting Micah’s marriage proposal. Cozy up this holiday season with Cynthia Ruchti’s new novella, An Endless Christmas. The Binder family celebrates every Christmas as if it were their last. Too many people, too much snow, and too little room should be a recipe for disaster. But sometimes too much is just enough. Especially when it’s Christmas.
Celebrate the holidays with Cynthia and An Endless Christmas by entering her $100 Target gift card giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of An Endless Christmas
- A $100 gift card to Target
Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on November 30th. The winner will be announced December 1st on Cynthia’s blog.
by admin | Nov 11, 2015 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction, Romance
MY REVIEW:
Melody Carlson’s annual Christmas novellas have become and important part of my holiday season and I look forward to reading a new one each year. I know I can expect a heart-warming story filled with love, joy, and faith as well as everything else that makes the season special. A touch of humor never hurts either. “The Christmas Joy Ride” is another winner in my opinion.
It was fun to join Miranda and her eighty-five-year-old neighbor Joy as they traveled Route 66 in Joy’s RV with stops along old Route 66 to take a bit of Christmas cheer to those Joy has decided are in need of her help. I enjoyed the interaction between the two women as they spread the love of Christ along the way and gained some for themselves also. The plot takes a couple of unexpected twists and the reader is even treated with a surprise romance at the end.
I highly recommend “The Christmas Joy Ride” as well as each and every other Christmas novella by Melody Carlson. Why not pick up a copy and start your own Christmas tradition?
This book was provided for review by
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Miranda did not put adventure on her Christmas list, but thanks to her eighty-five-year-old neighbor Joy, that’s exactly what she’s getting this year. When Joy tells Miranda that she plans to drive an old RV decked out in Christmas decorations from their Chicago neighborhood to her new retirement digs in Phoenix–in the dead of winter, no less–the much younger Miranda insists that Joy cannot make such a trip by herself. Unemployed and facing foreclosure, Miranda feels she has nothing to lose by packing a bag and heading off with Joy toward Route 66. But Joy has a hidden agenda for their Christmas joyride–one that could derail the whole venture.
No one captures the heartwarming fun of the Christmas season quite like Melody Carlson. Fasten your seat belt, because it’s going to be an exciting ride!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of more than two hundred books with combined sales of more than six million. She is the author of the bestselling The Christmas Bus, The Christmas Dog, Christmas at Harrington’s, and The Christmas Cat. She received a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her many books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series and Finding Alice. She and her husband live in central Oregon. Learn more at www.melodycarlson.com.
by admin | Oct 27, 2015 | Books, Christmas, Contemporary Fiction
MY REVIEW:
What a beautiful book! The cover is gorgeous and I love the flaps, the rough-cut page edges, and the tree border illustrations at the bottom of the pages.
The story itself was not at all what I expected. It is a narrative about Arlene Santana who has suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as the loss of her husband in the same accident. For her each day is a new experience because she doesn’t remember the previous one. She still has memories of her life before the injury but usually doesn’t remember the visits from her sons. As the years go by, one Christmas after another, Arlene yearns to go home she misses. I liked the fact that although Arlene had such memory loss, she never forgot who she was and never lost her love for her family.
As is usual in Copeland’s books, it is beautifully and skillfully written. I have to admit though, much of this book depressed me. Yes, there were some quite humorous moments and the ending was encouraging. It was revealing to see the other side of memory loss and the frustration for the one experiencing it. The problem was not the book but perhaps my own frame of mind. I have seen too many friends and relatives with loved ones who suffered from dementia and recently watched as a friend and her husband experienced his difficult and losing battle with early onset Alzheimer’s Disease. I feel sure that the author has a special purpose for this book and I sincerely hope that it reaches those whose lives will be touched by it.
This book was provided for review by Barbour Publishing.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Meet Arlene Santana, a vibrant wife and young grandmother whose life suddenly takes a confusing and often laughable turn into a new reality framed by a severe brain injury. As one holiday after another speeds by, Arlene takes comfort in the amusing old people who surround her in the rehabilitation center and one special friend who relates well to Arlene. But when will her husband, whose love is more real to her than anything, come to visit her? Treasure this Christmas novella from bestselling author Lori Copeland that demonstrates the healing power of true love.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lori lives in the beautiful Ozarks with her husband Lance. Lance and Lori have three sons, three daughter-in-laws, and six wonderful grandchildren, and two great-granddaughters.
Lori began her writing career in 1982, writing for the secular book market. In 1995, after many years of writing, Lori sensed that God was calling her to use her gift of writing to honor Him. It was at that time that Lori began writing for the Christian book market.
Lori is the author of more than 100 titles, both historical and contemporary fiction. With more than 3 million copies of her books in print, she has developed a loyal following among her rapidly growing fans in the inspirational market. She has been honored with the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award, The Holt Medallion, and Walden Books’ Best Seller award. In 2000, Lori was inducted into the Missouri Writers Hall of Fame.
Lance and Lori are very involved in their church, and active in supporting mission work through School to the Nations.
